Thanks for Waiting
by PhoenixDowner
Summary: Riku and Naminé are an unlikely duo working towards a common goal: helping Sora. But as they spend more and more time together, they start to question if they're doing the right thing. It's easier to focus on that than on what might be happening between them. After all, a Nobody doesn't have feelings of her own, and a human wouldn't fall for a Nobody… right? KH3 Spoilers.
1. Chapter 1 - An Unlikely Duo

Naminé rubbed her eyes, then picked up the pencil and continued her work. This memory was an old one; Sora wore a white shirt with red pants, and there was a light shining in his hands. It was one of those memories he probably didn't even remember, but it was a part of his heart all the same and needed to get put back together.

"Naminé? You're still awake?"

Naminé looked up from her sketchbook. A figure wearing a black coat and a blindfold had entered her little sanctuary, a blank white room with drawings of Sora's memories attached to the walls.

"Oh, hello Riku," she said as she turned her attention back to her drawing. "I take it our hideout is still safe?"

Riku took a seat at the opposite end of the table from her. "For now," he said with a sigh. His silver hair was getting long, including his bangs. Between that and the blindfold, Naminé wasn't sure how he could even see anything.

"Isn't that a good thing?" she asked.

"I guess. I just… don't feel like I'm doing anything."

"Well, there's not much you _can_ do right now other than stand guard over Sora. And it's an important job. His life is in our hands."

He rested his head in his hands. "That's just it. After what I did, I don't know how I'm gonna face him when he wakes up."

"Well," Naminé said as she put her pencil down, "if it makes you feel any better, there are plenty of good memories of the two of you together. And Sora forgave me for trying to replace Kairi. He wasn't happy about it, but he didn't hold it against me. If he can forgive me, he can forgive you too."

Riku was silent, and Naminé stole a glance at his face. With his eyes covered, it was harder to get a read on what he was feeling, but not impossible.

"Riku," she said softly, and he lifted his head. "I think you're being harder on yourself than anyone else is."

"I could say the same about you. How long have you been working on Sora's memories without a break?"

She pursed her lips. "That's different. I have to make it up to him. I have to fix my mistakes. With each day that goes by, he's apart from his friends for that much longer."

He sat back in his chair. "And how is what you're doing any different from what I'm doing?"

"It's not," Naminé finally admitted.

His lips twitched, ever so slightly, and for a moment Naminé caught a glimpse of the Riku Sora and Kairi must know.

"Listen to us," he said. "Two people bumbling around, trying to atone for what we've done but probably doing more damage in the process. What a pair we make."

Naminé stilled at that. "I'm not a person the way you are, Riku. I'm not… human. I'm just a Nobody. Kairi's shadow."

He said nothing for a long time, and she picked up her pencil again and continued. When he stood, she glanced up at him one last time.

"Goodnight, Riku."

"Goodnight, Naminé."

With that, he stole out of the room as quickly as he'd entered it. The only sound left was the scratching of pencil against paper.

The more Naminé spread her drawings of Sora's memories across the walls and tables of this lonely room, the emptier Naminé felt inside. Like she was pouring everything into those drawings until there was nothing left. She set her pencil down, the drawing of Sora as a child finally finished, and rested her head in her hands.

His memories mocked her. They were always waiting for her as soon as she closed her eyes. Reminding her of the life she could never have. It didn't matter that Sora had promised to be her friend. Once he woke up, he wouldn't even know who she was. She was alone again.

Riku was trying, he really was. But a human like him couldn't understand what it felt like to know you were never meant to exist. That you were a mistake, an accident. Naminé could hardly blame him for thinking that way. She and Roxas and Xion were all just fakes, and he and Sora and Kairi were the real ones. The humans. The ones with actual hearts. And even though Roxas and Xion were never meant to exist, either, they still had Axel. Who did she have?

No one. Sora had chosen Kairi over her. Riku wanted his friend back, and so did Kairi, even though she couldn't remember his name.

There was one person who had wanted to be with her. The Riku Replica. But he was gone now, and his feelings had been fake. Given to him so Marluxia could manipulate Sora. Given to him so she could toy with him and break him. No one had ever cared for her out of their own free will.

What she wouldn't give just to have that, for once. But she could never ask for it, for if she did, she would simply ensure the same thing would happen again. Love without a choice was not love at all.

When she left the white room for the night, a shudder went down her spine. How could a Nobody like her be haunted by ghosts of memories that weren't even her own?

But it didn't matter. Her time was limited. In the end, she would have to return to her Other, just like every other Nobody did in the end.

* * *

Riku sighed as he sank into his creaky bed that night. The Old Mansion was hardly a nice place to live, but somehow it was still less creepy than living in Maleficent's lonely old castle with its big empty room back on Hollow Bastion.

Being away from Sora and Kairi was hard. But it wasn't their fault Riku was currently in this mess, struggling with his darkness as he tried to fix his mistakes. And Sora wouldn't wake up unless he went to questionable lengths to get his friend back.

His thoughts wandered to his task at hand. Sure, DiZ kept saying Roxas and Xion and Naminé weren't real people. But if that was true… why did Xion have a face now? A face that looked like Kairi's? And why did Roxas seem so much like Sora? Why was Riku reminded so much of his friend when he saw him?

And Naminé. Naminé, with her gentle smile and earnest manner. Naminé, who was just as determined to atone for her mistakes as Riku was for his. How were the two of them any different, really? Why was it that he was human and she was a Nobody? Did it even really matter?

Yes, it did, because if he accepted Naminé had a heart, then he'd have to accept Roxas and Xion did, too, and he couldn't do that. Couldn't do that and still bring Sora back.

DiZ was right. Nobodies and Replicas weren't real people. They were just fakes with fake hearts, and no amount of wishing would ever change that.

But as Riku fell asleep, Naminé's face was in his thoughts, and a part of him wished he was wrong.

* * *

When Naminé woke up the next morning, faint smells were coming from the direction of the mansion's kitchen.

Curious. Usually she was the one who did the cooking. Riku was in and out too much to be a reliable cook, and DiZ had probably never made anything more complicated than a sandwich in his entire life.

She had no clothes but her white dress, so she slipped it on now and folded the oversized Twilight Town t-shirt that was her nightgown in a neat pile on her creaky old bed. She'd managed to snatch it when no one was looking, because Diz didn't think a Nobody like her need worry about things like clothes or even food.

But her body, faint and ethereal as it was, still needed sustenance of some kind. She had made do by scrounging around in the woods near the mansion or snatching scraps from food stalls in town until Riku put a stop to that and started bringing back actual groceries for her to cook with.

Taking the stairs as quietly as possible, she made her way down to the kitchen. The smells drifting to her nose triggered Kairi's memories of other mornings spent with Riku and Sora, mixing batter and adding in chocolate chips.

Sure enough, Riku was hunched over the stove with a metal spatula in his hand. The stove had been a little too short for him before, but after his recent growth spurt, it was comically so.

"Good morning," she said as she peered over his shoulder. A plate of pancakes was next to the stove, and he scooped the latest one off the skillet and dumped it on top of the pile.

"Morning," he replied. "Pancakes are about the only thing I know how to make, so I figured I'd take over cooking duty for once. Grab yourself a few and take a seat. Syrup's already on the table."

"Thank you." She found a chipped but clean plate to use, along with a mismatching fork and knife, and took a seat on one of the creaky old chairs. Miracle of miracles, the table didn't wobble as she set her plate down, and she gave Riku a curious look.

"I tried to stabilize it this morning," he explained as he brought the remaining pancakes over along with another clean plate and took a seat. She watched as he poured syrup over his stack of pancakes, leaving a few for DiZ.

So that was what you did with the syrup. She copied him and then tried a bite. The pancakes were warm and fluffy, and the syrup was just the right level of sweetness.

"These are really good, Riku. Thank you."

"Yeah, well, you can thank Kairi. She's the one who taught me how to make them."

But of course. Riku wouldn't make them for her sake; he was making them because he missed Kairi.

"I hope I get to meet her soon," she said. Well, more like she knew she would, she just wanted to talk to Kairi before she merged with her.

"She'd like you," Riku said. Not a question, a matter-of-fact statement.

"She would? Even after I made Sora forget her?"

"She's not the kind of person who holds things against other people."

"Why don't you go see her then?"

Riku sighed. "I can't. Not without Sora."

Naminé didn't know what to say to him. What she wouldn't give to have real actual friends of her own. He had friends who cared deeply about him, and yet he wouldn't even talk to them.

"Well," she said at last, "I hope the three of you can be together again soon."

He coughed and quickly changed the subject. "What will you do, when all of this is over?"

"I suppose the same fate that befalls all Nobodies will befall me eventually. I'll return to Kairi like I'm supposed to."

He was silent for a while, then finally replied, "Doesn't that make you sad?"

She shrugged. "I don't have a heart, remember? So I can't really be sad about it."

But Riku's head drooped, and she had the curious thought that perhaps he was sad for her.

No, that was impossible. Humans didn't feel any empathy for Nobodies. How could they, when Nobodies were just empty husks masquerading as people?

She couldn't let Riku get attached. That would just lead to heartache for him and make it harder to do what had to be done.

* * *

Naminé sat in the white room, staring blankly out the window at the courtyard below and the woods beyond that. Xion had made her promise to look after Roxas, and…

"Hey, what's wrong?"

She glanced at Riku, who must've entered the room without her noticing. His eyes were still covered, but she didn't need to see them to sense something was on his mind, too.

"I don't know why," she said, "but something about this feels wrong. I know I'm not supposed to be able to feel, and yet… I can't help but wonder… are we really doing the right thing, Riku?"

He didn't answer her for a few moments as her question hung in the air. Was he having a crisis of conscience over what they were doing? Was it possible he felt guilty? Ashamed?

But this was all to help Sora. That was what mattered, right?

"Right or wrong, Xion made up her mind in the end," he said at last, his voice heavy. "There was no stopping her."

"You're sad for her?"

Riku didn't reply; he just sat down and stared at the drawings on the wall. As the memories of Xion faded one by one despite her attempts to cling to them, Naminé couldn't help but wonder. Would anyone remember her after she'd returned to Kairi? Or would she just fade away? Would everyone forget her like Sora had forgotten her, or would someone, anyone, remember her? Would she become a part of Kairi, or would she…

She shook her head. Roxas. She was supposed to look after Roxas, for some reason.

Riku stood and walked to the door.

"Where are you going?" she asked.

"Xion… I'm supposed to… face Roxas."

With that, he was gone, and so were the last memories of…

That was the thing about memories fading. Once they were gone, they were gone for good. Hoping that someone would remember her after she returned to Kairi was pointless. She was doomed to be forgotten in the end, just like every other Nobody.

* * *

Diz's secret basement laboratory, with its blue glowing lights and creepy monitors, was usually somewhere Naminé merely passed through when she wanted to visit Sora. But someone had entered the Old Mansion and was in the lab now, and she wanted to know what was going on. Otherwise she'd never find out, as Diz wasn't going to tell her otherwise.

She took the steps one by one, clutching her sketchbook to her chest as she peered down. What she saw at the bottom of the stairs made her breath catch.

A tall figure was there, dragging an unconscious Roxas along with one arm as it favored the other. Her promise to help Roxas rang clear through her head, and she cast her sketchbook aside and addressed the figure.

"Who are you?"

"Naminé, it's me."

She gasped, and her hand flew to her mouth. "Riku?"

Sure enough, the memories were his. His heart was his. But his appearance was not. He… he looked like Ansem now. Like his own worst enemy. He still wore a black coat, but he was taller and bulkier than he should be. His hair wasn't messy anymore, either; it was perfectly smooth, and he was no longer blindfolded. Instead of the beautiful green eyes she had come to expect, golden ones stared back at her.

"I know what you're thinking," he said, averting his gaze. "But I had to do this to defeat Roxas."

Naminé's lower lip trembled as she looked from Riku to Roxas back to Riku. How was this right? How was any of this right? Why had Riku transformed? And why did Roxas have to be sacrificed? Why did bringing Sora back have such a high cost? She didn't know helping him would… would—

Her eyes rested on the unconscious Roxas once more. Maybe she and Roxas weren't human, but surely they didn't deserve to just—

"I see you've brought Roxas back," Diz said, and Naminé stiffened at the sound of his voice. "Place him over there. The digital Twilight Town is ready."

Riku moved to do as Diz asked, and Diz turned his attention to her.

"Naminé, now that we have Roxas, you must make haste. The Organization will begin searching for us."

"Of course."

She still owed it to Sora to put the rest of his memories back together. She'd promised.

But… she could at least comfort Roxas in his final few days of life. It was the least she could do for him, for the only person left who might understand.

* * *

"Dispose of Naminé."

DiZ's command to Riku rang through his head as he listened to Axel and Naminé speak to each other. And then Axel brought up the elephant in the room, the reason why Riku had come to Sunset Hill overlooking the real Twilight Town in the first place.

"DiZ? Wants to get rid of me?" Naminé asked. Her voice wasn't angry or accusatory, just sad and a little surprised. She stared at the sketchpad in her hands. "Well, I suppose it makes sense. He doesn't want a Nobody with powers as dangerous as mine around." She looked up at him, and her eyes were heavy. "I don't blame you, Riku."

As he stared at her, he thought of all the days they'd spent together over the past few months. Thought of how she'd treated him kindly, even after he'd taken on Ansem's form. Thought of how she'd smiled when he'd made pancakes for her. Thought of how she always knew just what to say as well as when to be silent. Thought of how upset she'd been over Roxas's fate. How she'd defied even DiZ's orders after she'd cooperated with him for so long. And why?

That was when it hit Riku. She was lonely. She was trying to bond with the only person she thought might understand her. If she really didn't have a heart, then why was she trying so hard to connect with someone else?

DiZ was wrong. Riku had made a terrible mistake. Naminé had a heart. Roxas did too. Maybe even Axel as well. And even though it was too late to help Roxas now, he could still do something for Naminé. He could still show mercy on Axel.

"Go," he told them, and Naminé's eyes went wide and her lips parted. "I owe you both," he explained after Axel questioned him. What he didn't say was that a part of him couldn't bear to see Naminé dead. Couldn't bear the thought of her not existing anymore.

"Thank you," was all she said after a few moments, but it was all she had to say. He watched as she disappeared inside the portal Axel had opened. Now he was the one defying orders, but he didn't care. She was gone, but at least this way, she might be safe.

* * *

As Naminé merged with Kairi, she realized at long last the truth that had been staring her in the face: she did have a heart of her own, a will of her own, a mind of her own.

While she was glad that she continued to exist at all, a part of her still wished that she could feel the breeze on her skin again, the sunshine beaming down on her face. Wished she could talk to Roxas and Kairi and Sora face to face again. Wished she could see Riku again—

She caught herself. Where had that thought come from? Strange, unbidden, and yet… here to stay. The more she tried not to think about Riku, the more she thought about him. Thought about his wry humor and dry wit and teasing smiles. Why had he spared her? Was it really because of guilt, or could it be something more?

No, it had to be guilt. There was no other explanation. He felt bad about what he'd done to Roxas, and this had been his way of making up for it.

There was no way he felt anything for her. None at all. And that was how it should be. She might be her own person, but she had no hope of being distinct from Kairi ever again.

Did she?

* * *

A/N: I've been wanting to write something that delved into Riku and Naminé's bond in more detail, as well as what might have happened behind the scenes during those moments the games can't include because of time and budget restraints. This chapter covered the material leading up to KH3, and next week's chapter will cover KH3 itself. Hope you enjoyed!


	2. Chapter 2 - Thanks for Waiting

Soft eyes and an enigmatic smile. More shadow than light, looking as if she might fade away at any moment, hard at work as she sketched how she saw the world. Riku knew his priority was supposed to be saving Aqua, but ever since he'd run into the other Riku in the Realm of Darkness, his thoughts kept wandering to Naminé.

He rolled over and sighed. Radiant Garden was looking better and better the more of it was rebuilt, but even though he and Mickey were staying at a cozy inn with comfortable beds, tonight was proving to be another sleepless night.

"You're thinking about her again, aren't you?"

Hovering beside him was the other Riku. They'd started having more and more chats like this, and Riku couldn't say he really minded. It was nice getting perspective from someone who understood him so well and yet wasn't him.

"I guess I am," he said. "What Ienzo told us about the Replica project's been on my mind."

If there was a way to bring Naminé back, he wanted to. The time they'd spent together hadn't exactly been surrounded by happy memories, and yet thinking about her brought a smile to his face.

"I understand," the other Riku said. "My feelings for her might be fake—"

Riku raised an eyebrow. "They seem real enough to me."

"I guess you're right. But yours are real, too. And that means you can help her."

"I'll try," Riku said at last, "but I can't make any promises. Saving Aqua comes first."

He had a duty to fulfill. He and Mickey had to get Aqua out of the Realm of Darkness as soon as possible.

"But then?"

"I'll do whatever I can to save her. I promise."

The other Riku looked content to hear this. He looked up at the ceiling and sighed. "And that's all I can ask from you. For you and me both."

Riku thought about the other Riku's words as he tossed and turned. Would it be possible to bring Naminé back? If so… then yes, he did want to bring her back.

His thoughts wandered back to those months they'd spent together working to save Sora. If only he'd known what he had before he lost it. But that was how life worked, wasn't it? Didn't know what you had till it was gone. He'd been so fixated on helping Sora, and so had she, that neither of them realized what could've been till it couldn't be anymore.

* * *

Naminé's days were spent in slumber, and it was only at night, while Kairi dreamed, that they could speak. As far as Naminé knew, Kairi didn't remember their little chats – not much of them, anyway – but they were nice all the same.

The two of them met in a vision of the white room back at the Old Mansion, Naminé's drawings hung all over the walls as they sat at opposite ends of the table. She listened intently as Kairi talked about all the things she'd been learning lately, the magic spells and defense moves and special attacks. Imagined she was doing those things beside Kairi instead of watching from within a dream.

Kairi paused, her brow furrowed. "What's wrong? I get the feeling something's troubling you."

"Oh… it's just that…"

She hesitated. Should she really tell Kairi what was on her heart? Would that make anything better, or would it just make Kairi sad?

"You can tell me," Kairi said gently. "I'm your friend."

Naminé spent a few more agonizing seconds deciding what to do, then finally spoke again. "Hearing you talk, I wish I could experience all those things with you. It's selfish, I know, but—"

Kairi shook her head. "It's not selfish at all. It's human. Of course you want to experience these things for yourself. When I lost my body and was inside Sora's heart, I enjoyed seeing all the things he did. But it wasn't the same as getting to see them for myself."

"I understand."

Kairi smiled sadly. "Anything else on your mind?"

"Well… there is someone I want to see again…"

"You will. I promise."

How Kairi knew who it was, Naminé wasn't sure. But the knowing twinkle in her eyes lifted her spirits a little. She might be unable to live her own life, but at least she still had Kairi.

* * *

"Well, enough about what I've been up to. Anything on your mind?" Sora asked as Riku chatted with him via Gummiphone. His friend was chilling in the Gummi Ship while Donald and Goofy were shopping for supplies and Mickey was grabbing breakfast.

"Well, actually… yeah," Riku replied.

Sora's eyebrows furrowed. "What is it? You worried about rescuing Aqua? I know you'll be able to pull it off. You rescued me, after all."

"Right. I just… there's something else I…" Riku sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. He was going to regret saying this, he just knew he would. All those years spent teasing Sora were about to come back and bite him in the ass.

"You miss somebody, don't you?" Sora said sagely.

"How'd you know?"

"Gimme some credit here. I am your best friend. I have a pretty good read on how you're feeling."

"And who do you think it is I'm missing, oh wise one?" Riku teased. If Sora was gonna give him a hard time, he'd dish it right back.

"Hmmm, let's see. Can't be Kairi, 'cause you just saw her. Can't be me, 'cause we're talking right now. Selphie drives you up the wall, and Tidus and Wakka haven't really talked to either of us much lately. So we're all out."

"What, are you a super sleuth now?"

"It must be someone you can't talk to right now. Boy do I know how that feels," Sora said with a sigh. "I'm gonna guess… Naminé?"

Riku didn't say anything, and a smirk spread across Sora's face. "I knew it! You do miss her, don't you?"

"I didn't realize I would until she was gone."

"Riku, you've always been kinda dense when it comes to your own heart," Sora said with a shake of his head, but the words were affectionate. "This doesn't surprise me at all. I can see why you like her."

Riku bristled. "I'm dense when it comes to my own heart? Sheesh, talk about the pot calling the kettle black."

"Maybe, but I've gotten pretty good at picking up on what other people are feeling. You wanna see her again, don't you?"

"I guess. But I don't see how that's possible."

There were a lot of big ifs to her getting a body of her own. And even if they did save her, would she even want to talk to him?

"C'mon, Riku, have some faith! I swore to Roxas I'd get him back somehow. I'm sure Kairi feels the same way about Naminé. And you said it yourself. Ienzo and the others wanna find a way to give them bodies. With all these people working together, I'm sure we'll find a way to save them."

"You're right. I should have some faith. Comes with following my heart, doesn't it?"

Sora grinned. "Yup! That's the spirit."

As they wrapped up their conversation and Sora said goodbye, Riku couldn't help but sigh. He sure wanted to hope, but hope was dangerous. Hope easily led to disappointment.

But what was the alternative? Living without any hope? That was even worse. So maybe he'd give this whole faith thing a try. He would see Naminé again, and when he did, maybe he'd finally tell her how he felt.

* * *

Ever since her birth, Naminé had teetered on the edge of existence. Was this new form really so different? This star full of empty hopes and wishes and regrets, barely hanging onto life in the Final World with nothing but blue sky and white clouds surrounding her for miles on end?

What was it that kept her here? Why hadn't she passed on to whatever lay beyond this realm? Was it because Kairi still stubbornly clung to life and kept her here? Or was it her own regrets?

She did have a lot of regrets. But after lingering inside Kairi's heart for a while, she'd finally identified her biggest regret of all. And now, all alone in this lonely place with nothing but her regrets left, it ate away at her.

No one really missed her. Roxas was the one they missed. They'd all be fine without her. And the person she missed the most, the person she wanted to see the most, didn't seem to care at all.

Then Sora came along, tethered to the Realm of Light and retaining his form while Naminé did not. Of course. Someone cared enough about him to do that. Just another reminder that Naminé was alone.

But as he talked to her, he reassured her that everyone did miss her. He missed her, Kairi missed her, Donald and Goofy missed her, Roxas missed her… and most puzzling of all, someone else special wouldn't let her down.

His words stuck with her after he'd left, remained in her heart after he found their friends again and returned to the Realm of Light and Naminé to Kairi's heart.

Could he possibly mean…

But hoping was dangerous. And yet, she couldn't help but hope. Hoping was a part of having a heart, after all.

* * *

Riku watched, dumbfounded, as the other Riku gave up his chance at life for Naminé's sake. Gave up his chance to be with her for Riku's sake. With a few final words, he faded into a swirl of light and darkness, leaving nothing behind but the Replica body for Naminé as the wind whistled through this dry, empty place.

If that wasn't love, Riku didn't know what was. He would honor the other Riku's sacrifice and bring back Naminé, whatever it might take. He wanted to see her again. He wanted to tell her what the other Riku had sacrificed for her. And… he wanted to tell her how he felt. She deserved to hear it, after he'd been so clueless about his own heart.

But first, they had a war to win.

* * *

The cruel irony of Kairi's existence was that she could keep other people from dying and yet couldn't save herself. Naminé screamed as she felt Xehanort's blade strike Kairi's back, wrenching her out of her safe home and sending her hurtling towards death. Kairi's heart was likewise torn from her body right before it turned to crystal and exploded.

The two girls were flying through the Final World towards whatever lay beyond, and Naminé latched onto Kairi's hand. At least if they were going to die, they'd do it together.

"Naminé," Kairi said, her face twisted in sorrow, "I'm so sorry, I couldn't keep you safe—"

"It's not your fault," Naminé replied, trying to reassure her.

"It's too late for me, but not for you. I know the others can take it from here. I'm sorry I won't be able to welcome you home myself. I really did want to be there for you. But at least this way I'll be able to keep my promise to you."

"No, Kairi, what are you saying—"

With the last of her strength, with the last of her light, Kairi anchored Naminé to the Final World. Her see-through hand was starting to slip out of Naminé's grasp, but Naminé wasn't about to let go so easily.

"Kairi no, please, you have to save yourself—"

"No! You deserve to live! You deserve to be your own person. Just because my time is over doesn't mean yours has to be!" She smiled sadly as Naminé's hand slipped out of her grasp. "Promise me you'll live. Be there for Sora and Riku because I can't anymore."

"I promise," Naminé choked out, her lower lip quivering. Kairi's smile got bigger, and then she was wrenched away.

Naminé couldn't really cry without a body, even though she wished she could. She couldn't do much to help Kairi right now, either. All their friends were back where they belonged. All except her and Kairi. It would be easy to give into despair and just fade away.

But she'd made a promise to Kairi, and she intended to keep it. And when Sora found her again, she knew exactly what to do.

* * *

The battle was over. The long night had ended. It was morning, and Riku hovered somewhere between relief, exhaustion, and grief. Sora and Kairi were both gone, and while Riku had faith Sora would find her again and bring her home, he still missed them both. The memory of Kairi's body floating helplessly as Xehanort struck her and Sora's scream of agony that followed soon afterwards would haunt him for a long, long time. He'd failed them both when he'd wanted nothing more than to protect them both. And nothing except for seeing their smiles again, hearing their laughter again, would mend the wound of their loss.

But he couldn't rest yet. Couldn't grieve yet. He had one last task to complete. Mickey had come with him for it, and they trudged wordlessly through the maze that had been a battlefield before.

There. Up ahead. An empty body wrapped in a black coat. He gently lifted it into his arms and cradled it as Mickey brushed dust off the coat. This was going to be Naminé's new body, after all, and it deserved the utmost care.

* * *

Naminé's eyes blinked open. Standing before her were Zexion, DiZ, and Vexen. Smiles spread across their faces as she sat up and tested her new limbs. This wasn't exactly the welcome committee she'd been expecting, but she was grateful they were trying to make up for their past treatment of her all the same.

"It worked!" Vexen exclaimed, his green eyes shining.

"Welcome back to the Realm of Light, Naminé," Zexion said as she slipped off the gurney and stood.

"Come, there is something you must see," DiZ told her in his deep booming voice. She followed along, exiting the bowels of the castle on her own two feet. She could walk. She could really walk on her own again.

Xaldin and Lexaeus were at the entrance of the castle to greet her, and she shielded her eyes from the bright light of the sun. How good its warm rays felt shining down on her again, and how lovely the breeze felt blowing through her hair.

And it was blowing because the Gummi Ship was landing. Flower petals flew through the air as it made its careful descent to the ground. And after it had landed, her face lit up as the person she had wanted to see more than anything came out to greet her, like a knight coming to sweep her off her feet.

He offered his hand, and she smiled and took it. She'd imagined their reunion over and over again, but nothing compared to the actual thing. His hand was warm and his grip was strong, and his voice was the most wonderful sound in the world. And best of all, his eyes weren't hidden or the wrong color; no, they were their beautiful natural green.

"Welcome home, Naminé."

"It's good to be back, Riku."

"Come on in. They're all waiting to see you."

As she entered the Gummi Ship and saw the smiling faces of their friends as they all greeted her, giving her hugs and exchanging tearful happy words, it really sank in. She wasn't alone. She hadn't been for a very long time. And now Riku was here with her. He'd come for her, just like Sora had said he would.

"Ready to head to Sora and Kairi's welcome home party?" Riku asked as she took one of the seats next to him.

"Yes," Naminé said as she smoothed her skirt. "Thank you for coming to get me. Your timing was perfect."

Riku shot her a grin, and she smiled back.

"Anytime. Thanks for waiting for me, Naminé."

* * *

A/N: I figured Sora knew about Riku's feelings for Naminé somehow, otherwise he wouldn't have promised Naminé someone special wouldn't let her down, so I went into writing this part with that in mind. The rest was what I imagined could've happened behind the scenes during KH3.

I hope you enjoyed! Thanks for reading!


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